Mike Portnoy, the drummer of Dream Theater, is being accused by a fan of unnecessarily speeding up the songs during the band’s live performances.
The discussion began when a fan posted on the Dream Theater subreddit, claiming that Portnoy plays too fast at the band’s recent shows. While some fans agreed, most defended Portnoy, saying it was normal.
“I know this fanbase is full of absolute nerds but holy cow, you guys can be so insufferable. It’s a live show, it’s supposed to be an entertaining spectacle, if you want flawless performances you should just stick to the studio recordings, where they play with a click track and edit out any imperfections,” one user responded.
Another user argued that it adds to the concert experience. “It’s the normal human factor. It’s part of why we go to concerts instead of listening to a CD. I for one am grateful that the abysmal click is gone. I don’t want sanitization in my concerts. I want to see the real band, not a cleaned-up version.”
“It’s not uncommon for bands play faster when doing concerts… Not a concern to me,” another added. One blamed guitarist John Petrucci, saying, “‘…Petrucci struggles to play fast licks because Portnoy plays too fast…’ John needs to sit down with his metronome and practice, then.”
“I agree that Portnoy rushes songs and always has. But why would this be worse as they get older? I assume the tendency would be to slow down technical and/or fast songs as one ages,” another shared their theory. One user jokingly said, “Portnoy said f*ck a click track I’m the click track b*tches.”
Portnoy played his first live show with Dream Theater on October 20 since his return to the band. Additionally, Dream Theater will release their sixteenth studio album, ‘Parasomnia,’ on February 7, 2025, through InsideOut Music. This album will be the band’s first with Portnoy since 2009’s ‘Black Clouds & Silver Linings.’
While the 2024 leg of the tour has ended, the next leg is not far away. Dream Theater will begin their 2025 tour on March 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They will make stops in Canada, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, and more before wrapping up on July 27 in Istanbul, Turkey.
